Marlborough Walking and Cycling Strategy To ensure that elements of the walking and cycling network continue to offer good service to cyclists, it is necessary to both audit the facilities and carry out regular maintenance checks. A route audit will ensure that the facilities remain appropriate to modern standards, continue to offer safety benefits and take account of the changing road and/or traffic environments. A regular maintenance programme will ensure a facility is offering the high level of service for which it was originally designed. The provision of end-of-journey facilities, for example, secure cycle storage, lockers and changing facilities, also encourages people to walk and cycle more. E.2. Every Road is a Cycling Road Most cycling in Marlborough is done on district roads and the State Highway network, rather than on special cycling facilities. Cyclists travel on practically every road in the District. Consequently, an important function of this strategy is to ensure that the basic road network is safe and attractive for cycling. Most collisions involving cyclists occur at intersections. Careful intersection design, including the choice of intersection control, can improve cyclist safety considerably. Many of our roads were created and designed using different standards and different understandings of cyclists’ needs, from those that exist today. Gradual improvements to our roads can (and should) be made to facilitate walking and cycling. In road design, cycles should be considered as much as other road users, and design for “cycle-friendliness” should be an integral part of all proposed road improvements. On some roads (both urban and rural), it may be feasible to reduce the speed differential between cyclists and motor vehicles. Consideration should be given to implementing threshold treatments at urban/ rural interfaces and traffic calming in towns. Reducing motor vehicle speeds improves the safety of not only motorists but also cyclists (and walkers) in a number of ways. Motorists get more time to notice and react to these road users; they can decelerate more quickly if needed to avoid a collision; and injuries resulting from impacts between motor vehicles and vulnerable road users are significantly less severe at lower speeds. Lower speeds in general reduce injury rates and the severity of injuries and help meet other road safety objectives. Some roads will be safer for cycling than others, perhaps because of traffic volumes or speeds, the proportion of heavy vehicles, topography, or seal or bridge widths. For example, many roads in Marlborough have such low motor vehicle traffic volumes and numbers of walkers and cyclists that the chance of two motor vehicles passing each other at the same time as a walker or cyclist is nearby is very small. Narrower roads may be acceptable in these circumstances. E.3. Design Guidelines for Walking and Cycling Facilities Geometric design guidelines for walking and cycling facilities can be obtained from a variety of sources. The following are recommended: 1. Pedestrian network planning and facilities design guide (Land Transport NZ 2007) http://www.landtransport.govt.nz/road-user-safety/walking-and-cycling/pedestrian-planning-design- guide/ 2. Cycle Network and Route Planning Guide (LTSA 2004) xvi